Friday, February 18 2011
Thursday, February 17 2011
Telekinesis: 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Stripped down power pop that sounds more like 12 well-executed demos than a living, breathing album.
Amanda Palmer: Goes Down Under
Pandering is not always a bad thing. Pimping one’s self and music as a way of entertainment is a form of performance art with a long-honored tradition.
Tyvek: Nothing Fits
Detroit garage-punk trio tears it up on sophomore album, leaving little in its wake, but not quite standing out from today's indie rock wallpaper.
Wadada Leo Smith / Ed Blackwell: The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer
Let's call it one of the best new jazz albums from 1986.
Wednesday, February 16 2011
Mogwai: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Mogwai continues to hone its sound into something less expansive but more punishing in its rock elements, and the results are energetic and often impressive, if not surprising.
Hayes Carll: KMAG YOYO & other American Stories
Carll has a Texas sense of humor, by which I mean he often writes BIG songs to emphasize the outrageousness of human situations. When he sings of love, he means lust, between a man and a woman so mismatched that only sex and booze can make the relationship work.
Joan As Police Woman: The Deep Field
Joan Wasser's third album with her Joan As Police Woman proves a dense listen, but one that rewards patience and attention with gems of blues and soul for the new decade.
Various Artists: Dr. Boogie Presents Wasa Wasa: Fabulous Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Shakers, 1952-1968
While it might not be the best place to start your foray into classic R&B, Wasa Wasa is still a respectable collection, not to mention fun as hell.
IMAKEMADBEATS x Butta Verses: Daylight EP
For such a short project, Daylight manages to keep its focus. Other projects of this size can usually be sniffed out as just some random songs that were thrown together for the sake of releasing them and calling it an EP.
Santana and Various Artists: Guitar Heaven
Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time comes off as a celebrity version of American Idol.
Tuesday, February 15 2011
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake
Recorded in a 19th century Dorset church, Polly Jean's latest focuses heavily on nationalism, warfare, and the use and abuse of the autoharp.
A Hawk and a Handsaw: Cervantine
A Hawk and a Hacksaw's passion for Eastern European music takes them on a brief, and perhaps disorienting, detour into the Latin world.
Covenant: Modern Ruin
Covenant's latest is marked by the addition of a new member and a surprising focus on experimentation.
The Soft Moon: The Soft Moon
This compelling full length debut of dark, panic-ridden minimalist sounds won’t let you go. It’s a claustrophobic thrill ride.
Rick Ross: Ashes to Ashes
Originally dropped on Christmas Day and then renovated with Drake, Meek Mills, and Wale features in January, Rick Ross returns to the mixtape scene with a series of songs that should satisfy his fans. Mostly.
Ola Belle Reed: Rising Sun Melodies
Rising Sun Melodies makes a convincing case for Ola Belle Reed as one of the quiet wonders of American vernacular music.
Monday, February 14 2011
Bright Eyes: The People’s Key
On The People's Key, Conor Oberst bids farewell to an adolescence marked by histrionics and artistic restlessness. Even enfants terribles have to grow up sometime.
